The Little Ice Age tells the story of the turbulent, unpredictable, and often very cold years of modern European history, how this altered climate ...
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Apr 17, 2009
Miss Purl
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Technically I did not finish this, since I had to take it back to the library before I could finish the last three chapters, but I did skim them. So, I read this book. In its entirety. Don't try to talk me out of it.
Very informative! It seems that weather gets ignored a lot in history, when weather played a pretty big role in deciding the survival of life itself in the pre-industrial world. The only time it gets mentioned, really, is when it plays a large role in some single str More...
Very informative! It seems that weather gets ignored a lot in history, when weather played a pretty big role in deciding the survival of life itself in the pre-industrial world. The only time it gets mentioned, really, is when it plays a large role in some single str More...
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Feb 03, 2012
Using climate modeling based on ice cores and tree rings, archaeologist Brian Fagan tracks the social and economic effects of the chilling, centuries-long turn in the weather over Western Europe during the critical period of 1300-1850. From the wet summers that created sickly people for the coming black plague, the mud of Agincourt, the rise of the Hansa, the collapse of the Greenland colony, silting of crucial medieval ports and the opening of others, the brutality of subsistence farming, deat
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Dec 03, 2011
Isabel
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On several occasions between 1695 and 1728, inhabitants of the Orkney Islands off Northern Scotland were startled to see an Inuit in his kayak paddling off their coasts. On one memorable occasion, a kayaker came as far South as the river Don near Aberdeen. These solitary Arctic hunters had probably spent weeks marooned on large ice floes.[return][return]Between the relative stability of the mediaeval and modern warm periods, came hundreds of years of climatic instability. The climate seesawed ra
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Apr 22, 2008
Jessica
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The amount of time Fagan must have spent in dark and dusty European archives blows my mind. His research uncovers forgotten records in amazing detail. Unfortunately, the book could use an equally fastidious editor. Very interesting, if poorly organized. I still recommend it, though!
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Jul 21, 2010
Libby
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I like to think that I know a lot about history. Periodically, authors like Brian Fagan teach me how much more there is to know. This book is bursting with information about how the Medieval period I thought I understood,was formed and influenced by factors I didn't know or didn't understand. Let's start with style. Fagan is a dynamic writer. He moves his narrative along swiftly and surely like a championship skier on a difficult downhill. We get the thrills and not the spills. When I say thrill
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Oct 04, 2009
Bibliophile
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Brian M. Fagan's The Little Ice Age is a fascinating general history of Europe that focuses on the role of climate change (specifically, the five and a half centuries of extreme cold and unsettled weather that affected Northern Europe from 1300 to 1850.) The book is strongest when Fagan focuses the early parts about the Medieval Warm Period and the abrupt changes in that occurred in the 14th century; the later chapters are more cursory, although the history of agriculture in 18th century France
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Nov 08, 2009
Jennah
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I really enjoy books like this. Ones that paint a new light on historical events and demonstrate new ways of looking at those events. It's not that this books says that the weather patterns described are the real cause of historical events, but that they have a significant impact on the results of those events and should be a recognized factor.
It's evident that in recollections or historical articles the weather itself is simply a footnote in the annuls of singular battles or famine More...
It's evident that in recollections or historical articles the weather itself is simply a footnote in the annuls of singular battles or famine More...
Nov 14, 2011
Tyler
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If the author can't take the time to properly organize his writing, I don't have the time to read it. It sounds like he did a lot of research and fully convinced himself, then vomited out a rambling list of anecdotes organized vaguely chronologically and geographically.
I'm not trying to claim I would have done a better job; I'm sure my thesis reads somewhat similarly (at least in terms of the rambling anecdotes. I'm pretty sure I gave mine a better overall structure), but since a tot More...
I'm not trying to claim I would have done a better job; I'm sure my thesis reads somewhat similarly (at least in terms of the rambling anecdotes. I'm pretty sure I gave mine a better overall structure), but since a tot More...
Feb 10, 2010
Adam
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I liked the idea behind this book, and some of the themes and talking points generated by it, but I found it to be lacking in depth. After a while it felt like an endless skipping record of "it was really cold, then it wasn't for a while, then it was again," all of which could have been summed up by saying that the little ice age caused variable and volitile cllimate conditions, which de-stabilized civilization...look for more of this in the future. Good idea, just couldn't hold my a
Jul 23, 2008
Peter
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The author carefully detailed the weather fluctuations since the medieval warm period. The author clearly believes that CO2 emissions are causing global warming, but is honest enough to present some of the evidence to the contrary. For example right now the sun is producing the most radiation that has been recorded. It is possible that part of our observed warm up is from that.
Also the medieval warm period seems like it was warmer than today. Wine was produced in England, it i More...
Also the medieval warm period seems like it was warmer than today. Wine was produced in England, it i More...
Oct 01, 2009
Sandra
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So often the forces that shape history are barely acknowledged in history courses. Here's an example: the little ice age which determined SO MUCH of what happened politically, socially and economically from 1300 to 1850! And as a history major, I had NEVER heard anyone mention it! This interesting account will give insight into how much weather shapes history.
May 04, 2010
Adam
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On of those books where the fundamental idea is more interesting then the details (at least to me).
It's stimulating when you learn how much the "fixed landscape" isn't very fixed. Of course, by the thirteenth description of changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation, it's no longer so interesting
It's stimulating when you learn how much the "fixed landscape" isn't very fixed. Of course, by the thirteenth description of changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation, it's no longer so interesting
Apr 09, 2010
Joe
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Interesting book weather phenomena and its effects on man and history. Everthing you didn't know from how the Artic cold water drop creates the Gulf Steam and it's effect on Temperature to what the effect Krakatoa eruption had on the World's weather sysem.
Its a short and interesting read
Its a short and interesting read
Mar 29, 2009
Sally
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This was quite interesting, but the author is neither a scientist nor a historian and it sometimes showed. The book was not that well organised either and it was often just a catalogue of selected weather events. I was hoping for either something new or a decent synthesis of well-known data and it didn't really deliver on either count.
Jun 11, 2011
Michael
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What a fantastic book! This clearly illuminates how shifts in global climate pattens can impact our economies, communities, and politics. As a work of history, it profoundly reimagines how (especially) Europe has changed over the last thousand years.
Jul 04, 2009
Scott
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Pretty good book--combination of climate history and world history, with some discussion of how the former influenced the latter. A bit on the dry side, but interesting.
Apr 09, 2008
Laura
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Juxtaposing this book with my most recent prior book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" was interesting. The premise of this was that when everyone was a subsistence farmer, we humans were at the mercy of terrible cycles of climate change that resulted in horrific, repeated, famines. The premise of A,V,M was that we should all eat more locally and better yet grow our own food. I think there's a middle ground, and there has to be with industrialization as we know it and with impending cli
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Aug 01, 2011
Bethany
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A fun read! We all know that the weather can make us cranky/cheery, and this book explains how a bunch of slightly more cranky people can change the world! It makes climate change more terrifying/everyday.
Jun 07, 2009
Megan
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A very interesting book about how climate affects almost everything. Also a good warning about the changes global warming could cause.
May 21, 2010
Beth
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very readable, which is to my mind the second most important thing in a Non fiction work! the first of course being accuracy and His tables and tales seem to coincide.
Jul 31, 2011
Manuel
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Interesante, aunque algo superficial, análisis de la influencia del clima en la historia de Europa
Jul 08, 2010
Connie
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Climate seems to have influenced historical events than more than realized. Interesting read.
Aug 03, 2011
Very interesting history of climate in Europe from the 1300's to 1800's.
Jul 26, 2007
hadashi
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this was a fresh look at world history, from approximately the 16th to the mid-19th centuries, as seen through the lens of weather. living in Southern California, and before that, the tropics, i've never given a great deal of thought to the kind of weather that in some ways, ruled the fates of the Western world in both Europe and America. although a bit mired in dates and places, there's enough human detail that the subject matter stays fresh and interesting, and gives the reader pause to thin
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Jul 29, 2010
Clifton
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Starting with the Medieval Warm Period, this book is excellent, not only on the Little Ice Age but also on current global warming.
Sep 04, 2009
Veronica
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Just one of many great recommendations from my wise sage of a father!
Sep 16, 2008
Katie
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Fascinating both for the science and the social history. Who knew the Scots and the Basques reached Labrador (chasing fish) before Columbus reached the Bahamas? or that they really did use to have ice festivals on the Thames in London every year? I still can't describe the North Atlantic Oscillation accurately but I have a general idea of what it is, and would rather not see it reverse itself again, especially not for manmade reasons.
The writing is pretty technical sometimes, bu More...
The writing is pretty technical sometimes, bu More...
Dec 09, 2009
kenpen
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This book tracks climate changes between 1300-1850 and how they impacted the lives of people. One of the things that would have been really helpful to be included would have been standard deviations. When he would mention a particular year was 5 degrees cooler than an average, I would have liked to see what that standard deviation was, just to have a better understanding of how unique that year was. Overall, I learned some science and some history.
Jul 17, 2009
Marla
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The end got a bit too much into global warming, but otherwise a very interesting read. Went into temperature shifts causing famines causing emigration and social change, etc.
